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Kuş Üzümlü Kuru Patlıcan Dolması
Dried eggplant shells filled with beef, rice and currants, gently cooked in a tomato-and-pepper sauce. Currant-filled dried eggplant is associated with Denizli. This home version uses onion, herbs and mixed tomato and pepper pastes; local variations exist.
Boil shells in ample water for 5–8 minutes until pliable, then drain and rinse. Inspect for grit.
Mix beef, rice, onion, currants, parsley, half of each paste, one third of the oil and seasonings. Fill shells only three-quarters full.
Stand snugly in a pot. Mix remaining pastes and oil with measured hot water and pour around shells. Add a heatproof plate to hold them down.
Cover and simmer gently 40–50 minutes. Add hot water down the side if drying out. Check a filled shell from the center.
Rice is fully tender, shells are soft and the filling reaches 160°F.
Rest covered 15 minutes and serve with yogurt. Cool leftover rice dishes quickly in shallow containers, ideally within 1 hour; refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Rice is fully tender, shells are soft and the filling reaches 160°F.
Roasted eggplant layered with minced beef and tomato, with an optional chickpea variation. The optional chickpeas reflect a documented Afyonkarahisar variation. This oven adaptation roasts the eggplant instead of frying it and has no béchamel topping.
Soft eggplants filled with beef, onion, peppers and tomato, baked in a light tomato sauce.
Individual meatballs wrapped in crossed eggplant strips and baked with tomato and pepper caps.
Thin layers of seasoned beef and mince, chilled into a roll, sliced and quickly browned in a skillet. This is a skillet adaptation of layered döner. A restaurant spit uses a different cooking process. Slice only when the roll is firm but safely cuttable; never force a knife through a solid frozen block.
Alternating eggplant rounds and lamb patties roasted with tomatoes and green peppers. This oven adaptation follows the alternating meat-and-eggplant arrangement documented in Kilis. Use a shallow dish and avoid packing so tightly that the vegetables steam without softening.
Lightly flour-coated calf liver with crisp potato cubes and a sharp sumac-onion salad.
Mild beef-and-lamb meatballs, chilled before shaping into small fingers and grilling.
Thin, open flatbread topped with finely minced beef, tomato, green pepper, onion and parsley, adapted for a home oven.
Tender lamb, whole pearl onions and vegetables simmer together before cooked erişte is folded through the juices. A hearty Antalya-style stew.
Tender lamb in tomato sauce over a smoky eggplant purée enriched with milk and kaşar.
Hot lamb and pepper butter over smoky eggplant folded into garlic yogurt. This diced-lamb adaptation is related to Gaziantep’s alinazik, which is also made with coarsely minced meat. Let the eggplant cool to warm before folding it into the yogurt so the base stays creamy.
Whole eggplants with minced lamb tucked into deep slits, cooked gently with tomato and peppers.
